Most nights, Mara debugged while Ethan practiced investor lines in the hallway mirror, smiling at his own confidence. When she asked about a contract, he laughed and said, “Paperwork is for people who don’t trust family.” Mara believed that sounded reasonable.
Early adopters came because Ethan networked hard, but they stayed because Mara’s system did what it promised. She recorded every improvement—dates, version numbers, tests—because she feared her work could be rewritten later. Documentation felt like self-defense.